I am happily and firmly ensconced in my temporary home in Myrtle Beach. After a small run-in with tropical storm Barry on Saturday and Sunday, I wake up to a beautiful sunny Monday and find that Billy Donovan has a change of heart!?!?
According to this article, in the Orlando Sun-Sentinel , the Magic will allow Donovan to return to Florida. A "source" tells the Sun-Sentinel it is "over".
I have to admit, this is a big shock to me. Never in my wildest imagination could I have seen Billy Donovan, an apparently decisive individual as evidenced by his straightforward rejection of UK's advances, pulling a Dana Altman. But according to the Sun-Sentinel, that is exactly what will be happening.
What does this mean for Donovan? Well, his reputation as a person will take a serious hit, if not as a coach. Florida fans will probably forgive him -- just ask yourself if we would have forgiven Pitino if he had balked at the last minute instead of taking the Boston job -- but we have to wonder what Donovan was/is thinking. According to the article, everyone including his wife told him he should take the job in Orlando, and personally, I would have given him the same advice. Maybe Traitor Rick finally prevailed upon him. Who knows?
At this point, apparently, Donovan is not talking to anybody and neither is the UF athletic administration. No matter what the ultimate outcome, this has to go down as one strange year when not one but two coaches agree to go elsewhere and break their word. What must the Florida recruits be thinking? What must Christine be thinking? I only know what I'm thinking -- that I have entered the Twilight Zone of coaching weirdness.
Well, back to my vacation for now. It truly hit home yesterday when I went to the fringes of enemy territory, Calabash, North Carolina, to a gift shop and found bunches of NC, NC State, Virginia Tech and even Duke college stuff, but absolutely nothing resembling UK. Nothing like the absence of something you are used to to focus the mind.
I'll post a few pics from the beach later on when I have the time. Also, be sure to read this diary by reader boobs, who has been watching the Donovan situation also.
Many hours later, we still don't know what is going on with Donovan. This situation has now officially gone from the unusual to the outright bizarre. Apparently, the Magic are considering enforcing the contract that Donovan signed. Ryan Ferguson says that the Magic will not take legal action and Billy will be welcomed back with open arms. He may be right, but I don't know what this says about Gator fans.
NCAA Hoops Blog says this incident officially makes Billy D. a diva. Recruiting Wars wonders what this means for Florida's incoming recruiting class. Meanwhile, an actual diva at Diva Domain blog gives the whole situation a laugh, and thinks that Billy's face must be turning a bit more than pink right now.